soupman wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong... but wasn't the presale put up with the intention of having tickets available for people to gift for the holidays? I mean, I know that's not what happened, but...

I don't think so. We called them Christmas tickets because we will find out before xmas if we have them secured, but my understanding was that they were intended for people that needed as much time as possible to set up there camps/art projects. (I could be mistaken.) Obviously they didn't get the memo. At first, I was under the impression that the extra $$ from the 420$ tickets would be used to help offset the low income tickets.. not sure where I heard that.. possibly a dream.. but now I don't know what to think. All I know is that I was going to BM this year, and I was going to enter ever sale in hopes to avoid scalpers.. and the presale did it for me.

For people who required more than two tickets, it was a good option. I've always had to come up with a spare ticket or two. I knew the third ticket was a very strong possibility for a campmate, but I didn't go for a fourth. If I had, there would be a very happy eplayan just now. But I didn't, because that seemed greedy at the time. The campmate came up with one anyway, so it looks like I will be able to gift ... come June. I'm being cautious this year.

Brianna_Beauty413 wrote:If you truly want to go that bad then you'll find a ticket - whether it's from a scalper or not.

Brianna, you seem like a cool person but I really find myself disagreeing with this sentiment.

As an international entrant, and loser, of the lottery, I was already looking at spending £250 on a ticket, then £700 on a flight to Nevada. Then there would be my travel to the airport, my medical insurance for travel, a motel room for one night on the way there and one night on the way back, plus all my supplies, food and water. So, it's kind of ridiculous to me that someone would suggest that if I wanted to go "badly enough" I would loan more than the £3000 I had already planned to loan. That's nearly $5000, WITHOUT buying from a scalper...

And what about the people that literally have NO WAY to get the extra money, not even by a loan?

I don't mean to be a sore loser but I very strongly disagree that if people "wanted to go BADLY ENOUGH" they would find a way, however much they had to spend, whatever lengths they had to go to. This is the real world and people struggle with financial and logistical aspects, especially coming from farther away. I feel like your statement implies that people who aren't willing, or able, to buy from Scalpers, don't want to go "that bad." That seems rather judgemental towards people who can't afford to patronise Scalpers, or those who strongly object to the moral implications of scalping. :-/

I have a feeling some people took that statement the wrong way. I intentionally meant that if that amazonian slut that was putting me down wanted to go bad enough then she could just buy from scalpers. I have no problem with HER spending her life savings to go. Further more I said "Whether it's from a scalper OR NOT". I wasn't saying to buy from them but nevertheless there will be people that DO buy those tickets.

"One good thing about music: When it hits you - you feel no pain" - Bob Marley

Brianna_Beauty413 wrote:I have a feeling some people took that statement the wrong way. I intentionally meant thatif that amazonian slut that was putting me down wanted to go bad enough then she could just buy from scalpers. I have no problem with HER spending her life savings to go. Further more I said "Whether it's from a scalper OR NOT". I wasn't saying to buy from them but nevertheless there will be people that DO buy those tickets.

HELL YES. we need more of this!!! I applaud you for standing up for yerself in that way.

Brianna_Beauty413 wrote: some people just need to quit their bitchin'.

You're right, of course.

I just wonder how much YOU have invested in your camp, buying, storing, bringing down, setting up, tearing down, taking back and then storing, again...? How much time... or effort... how much do you have making your camp...? Or your art? or your general placement...?

I'm at the bottom end of that scale, the larger camps, way more. I'm not trying to be an elitist, just saying, from my perspective, it's hard to justify the expense/effort/time if maybe I can't even get a ticket. To do what I do, let alone the large theme camps, is a 12 month deal. I'm not rich, I do this on a budget. I doubt if everyone is rich. As I've said, BMorg provides the infrastructure, and a beautiful infrastructure it is, for what happens on it. The blank canvas we paint the picture that becomes BRC. All brought by the participants. How do I, how does anyone, justify spending all those things?... if you might not be able to go...

And what about next year?

The First Principle, radical inclusion, takes on a new meaning...

It's true, I haven't invested much in the camp I've been invited too YET. That's because I'm a virgin and haven't had the chance to do so...YET. Once again, I have to restate that I said SOME people need to quit their bitchin. I haven't seen you running back and forth from thread to thread ranting about how you didn't get a ticket. Therefore I have sympathy for you and I hope you do get a ticket. But people that keep putting others down for receiving tickets in the lottery and putting down BM itself...Well, they do not deserve tickets anyway IMHO.

"One good thing about music: When it hits you - you feel no pain" - Bob Marley

Eric wrote:I have a feeling the people who are there are going to be super-charged and ready, and I'm really starting to think this shake-up is going to revitalize the Event.

Concur concur concur!

Oh noes! Burning Man is going to be different!

One personal favorite aspect of Burning Man: It is always radically changing. My 1st year was 96. I've missed a couple since then. Nearly every year I hear some kind of complaint that "the Borg has ruined Burning Man because they _______________." Fine. I have yet to have a bad year in BRC, largely because it can change so much. The first year I went, the entire population showed up to the monday center camp cocktail party. Everyone at the burn. That doesn't happen much these days, but that's fine. If the burn was the same every year I don't think I'd go.

The burn is what you make of it. Change is inevitable, but not inherently bad.

*edited to add: Brianna_B, I love your attitude! Keep it up!

M*A*S*H 4207th: An army of fun.I don't care what the borg says: feather-wearers will NOT be served in Rosie's Bar.When I ask how many burns, I mean at BRC.

Eric wrote:I have a feeling the people who are there are going to be super-charged and ready, and I'm really starting to think this shake-up is going to revitalize the Event.

Concur concur concur!

Oh noes! Burning Man is going to be different!

One personal favorite aspect of Burning Man: It is always radically changing. My 1st year was 96. I've missed a couple since then. Nearly every year I hear some kind of complaint that "the Borg has ruined Burning Man because they _______________." Fine. I have yet to have a bad year in BRC, largely because it can change so much. The first year I went, the entire population showed up to the monday center camp cocktail party. Everyone at the burn. That doesn't happen much these days, but that's fine. If the burn was the same every year I don't think I'd go.

The burn is what you make of it. Change is inevitable, but not inherently bad.

*edited to add: Brianna_B, I love your attitude! Keep it up!

I love yours also!

"One good thing about music: When it hits you - you feel no pain" - Bob Marley

The CO wrote:One personal favorite aspect of Burning Man: It is always radically changing. My 1st year was 96. I've missed a couple since then. Nearly every year I hear some kind of complaint that "the Borg has ruined Burning Man because they _______________." Fine. I have yet to have a bad year in BRC, largely because it can change so much.

You've never had a bad year! Holy shit. I've had horrific years out there. Even a few boring "why am I doing this" years. And of course sublimely amazing life-changing years that keep me coming backs. The event itself is a lottery in my book. Doesn't matter what attitude I go with or what life circumstances I am in or what my intention, expectations, or hopes are, every year is so different.... For better and for worse. The only thing I have learned is that stagnation is my enemy out there. Change is good. I've kept things from getting stagnant by moving my theme camp from one side of the playa to the other, volunteering with the org, joining the build-crew of a large-scale art-project, purposefully cultivating relationships with new and different camps, etc. Of course not getting a ticket is not the change I had in mind but who knows, I've never taken a year off in 9 years maybe that is something I need to shake off some of my jaded attitude....

ZaphodBurner wrote:I know how to get at least two people into Burning Man for free. There's a woman--a virgin, no less--who will sell me her spare ticket at face value if I let her give me a blowjob on the playa. I am a fucking master of radically self-reliant when it comes to Burning Man...

Shouldn't you be giving yourself your own blowjob?

Well, supposin' I could, it wouldn't get me a ticket to Burning Man, would it?

THINK BEFORE YOU FUCKING SNARK.

Just because I didn't say it, doesn't mean that I don't think that you can call yourself self-reliant on the ticket either.

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri

Brianna_Beauty413 wrote:I have a feeling some people took that statement the wrong way. I intentionally meant thatif that amazonian slut that was putting me down wanted to go bad enough then she could just buy from scalpers.

HELL YES. we need more of this!!! I applaud you for standing up for yerself in that way.

I'm leaving this up because it's in response to a personal attack on Brianna that should have been edited & wasn't.

However- everybody just lay off the personal attacks. Disagree with the person, disagree with their reasons, I don't care (nor do the rest of the Mods as far as I know) but personal attacks will get edited out from now on. We've already had to pull posts & threads that were attacking other Burners because someone disagrees with them- the worst part of this ticket situation from my perspective isn't the lack of tickets but how it's shown so many people on both sides at their ugliest.

The event will go on, I wonder what happens to the community.

It's a camping trip in the desert, not the redemption of the fallen world - Cryptofishist

alt12 wrote:You've never had a bad year! Holy shit. I've had horrific years out there. Even a few boring "why am I doing this" years. And of course sublimely amazing life-changing years that keep me coming backs.

Allow me to clarify: I have had years full of awfulness, pain, sorrow, loss, anger, any number of things that could ruin BM for me. But being in a place surrounded by so much fucking cool shit and amazing people has the effect of blunting those negative moments, and even turning them into positives. My favorite years have been the ones where so much has gone wrong I felt like Job, because experiencing the full gamut of emotions, good and bad, is one of the most humbling and self-educational things that can happen to a person. It keeps me coming back for more.

M*A*S*H 4207th: An army of fun.I don't care what the borg says: feather-wearers will NOT be served in Rosie's Bar.When I ask how many burns, I mean at BRC.

To hold the sentiment that I was "rejected" for even a moment would be incredibly narcissistic.

Rather, I hold that the BRC LLC implemented a fundamentally flawed process while greatly underestimating the implications of what it was doing. I questioned the competence of a company that would violate so many basic principles of organization, and I questioned whether a community can depend on so heavily and trust so deeply a privately held, for-profit corporation that bears no real accountability to its constituents, because its constituents aren't shareholders, can't vote, and have no say in the operations of the company.

I don't feel rejected, I feel alienated and vigilant as I watch events unfold. So now, I must be active, consistent, vocal, relentless, until positive change occurs.

For years I have stayed off the boards and out of the politics. But social unrest breeds activism. I am forced to be an activist until this system is fundamentally rethought. So I'll be bugging people about it with every form of social media available for the foreseeable future.

Eric, thanks for all the positive feedback. I remember meeting you out there my first year and what a year it was. I have no ticket and I am not worried. And your right, we don't need any more LOUD LOUD sound camps. Shake shake shake it up!!!!!

There's scary convergence and synchronicity going on here. Of course, it's ePlaya and BM so I shouldn't be suprised, right? But there are now two forums I participate that both in the same week have been pondering the efficay of self-oral copulation. Fertility 2.0 is turning out to be pretty fucking wierd, lol.

The CO wrote:Allow me to clarify: I have had years full of awfulness, pain, sorrow, loss, anger, any number of things that could ruin BM for me. But being in a place surrounded by so much fucking cool shit and amazing people has the effect of blunting those negative moments, and even turning them into positives. My favorite years have been the ones where so much has gone wrong I felt like Job, because experiencing the full gamut of emotions, good and bad, is one of the most humbling and self-educational things that can happen to a person. It keeps me coming back for more.

+1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 or so...

(Plus having second coolest theme camp on playa does not hurt either, Komrade General!)